The Nigerian Civil War and the New Generation

We see war in all kinds of spaces and locations, some predictable and others less so. The elements of war, its violence, antagonisms, displacements and people killed or tortured have a presence in our everyday lives, in our daily routine.

At the same time, the phenomenon of war is not confined to moments of crises or battlefield locations. It somehow disrupts the normality of everyday life. The ‘roar of battle’ travels silently in our modes of being and interactions and the practices we take for granted. 

The Nigerian civil war officially ended 47 years ago but let’s ask ourselves, has it truly ended? Unofficially the war still rages on, it has only metamorphosed into different faces such as; religious, ethnic, regional, tribal and so much more. Nowadays when two people from two different divides in this country have issues, the next thing most people are quick to shout is let us go to war, not knowing its quite easy to start a war but very hard to end it. 

While growing up, I only remember being taught the timeline of the civil war, what led to it, the principal actors and the end of it. The outcome of the war, its effects on both sides and the casualties, memorials to people who lost lives on both sides and other educational and visual representations are conspicuously absent from our curriculum and other spheres of national engagement.

Perhaps if we were taught all this or we were opportune to see what effects the war had on our people, our generation will be quick to realize that the horrors of war are too great to be repeated. 

Finally, we need to learn lessons from this dark period in our nation’s history so that we don’t repeat it. Let us look at what is happening around the world today in places like Syria and Yemen and imagine if it was happening in our country, which should give us an inkling into why war is never the answer. I feel confident that with the coming of our generation, Nigeria will grow in political stability, economic progress, integrated development, social justice and be the epicentre of African solidarity. 

About the Author

Jaafar Abubakar Sidiq is a trained medical biochemist who has a passion for writing about biting issues in the society. He advocates strongly for gender equity and has the hope that one day all politicians will be 40 or below. He can be reached via Twitter @c_deek